Hurricane Ike reveals who is an idiot
September 14th, 2008
I have just been reading an account of the rescue efforts going on in Texas. At first I thought there had been an error, because after all who would have stayed? OK, maybe a couple like Harry Truman of Mount Saint Helena fame would stay and suffer his fate.
But no, there were about 140,000 who ignored the demand to leave the area. What? I live in the middle of Italy and for an entire day every news report said Ike was closing in on the Gulf Coast of Texas and that everyone was told to leave or face “certain death”. I would leave, wouldn’t you? But not only did people not leave, they kept their children with them. What part of certain death did they not understand?
If it weren’t for the innocents involved, I’d be tempted to invoke the Darwin award and let them survive or not instead of risking more lives trying to pull them off their roofs or out of trees. Only this short time since Katrina and 140,000 people say to hell with it, I’m not stirring?
Will you please explain to me what is in these folks’ minds? Can someone justify for me the risk and costs of rescuing people so stupid that they would lie down in front of a freight train? With their kids?
Because frankly, I don’t get it.
Entry Filed under: philosophy
5 Comments Add your own
1. aus | September 14th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
doh
2. Gil | September 15th, 2008 at 8:59 am
I think they stay for the following reasons they are: 1) stupid, 2) afraid if they leave their possessions will be looted and 3) don’t believe the warnings anymore.
3. eg | September 15th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I think it may be 1)
4. Cherrye at My Bella Vita | September 17th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Now, now Judith …
I think that when you live in an area like the Gulf Coast where hurricane warnings are sent out every other week throughout the summer, people tend to think they will be ok.
Remember Hurricane Gustav two weeks ago? Millions of people evacuated from Texas then, spent hundreds of dollars and they got a few rain drops. The media loves drama and each storm is \
5. MissJoe | September 19th, 2008 at 4:44 am
‘Fools’ for building there.’
The former state senator who wrote the law had little sympathy.
“We’re talking about damn fools that have built houses on the edge of the sea for as long as man could remember and against every advice anyone has given,”
It hurts sooo badly. Please Judith be kind even to fools, of whom I’m the greatest. It is bad. It is tough. It is too tragic to to point fingers. The pain is personal. It really hurts.
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